Monday, 30 September 2013

Hero

Students have a knack for finding
cheap, good food. Or cheap, good
food tends to crop up wherever there are students around. Either way, Hero is a new cafe that’s popped
up behind RMIT, targeting hungry students with gargantuan Brooklyn-styled hero
subs.

But
Michael and Eleena (of The Grain Store fame) aren’t just copy cats, oh no.
they’ve borrowed the all-American hero sub idea and turned it into
Melbourne-styled feel-good and slightly gourmet sandwiches. It’s messy, it’s
hearty, and it’s good for the soul. And whilst Michael had enthusiastically
insisted that we try 4 different half-subs between the two of us, by the end we
were grateful that we decided to just have 3 – they were THAT huge.

#Kidroyale ($7.8 half, $11.8 whole)

I
had my eyes dead-set on the #Kidroyale
($7.8 half, $11.8 whole), a mouth-watering concoction of slow roasted beef
topped with crispy onion rings. This was a smashing sandwich. The pull-apart
tender beef was generously flavoured with a sweet and smoky onion jam, and a
thick, creamy honey Dijon dressing. And the onion rings on top? Eat them
separately or chow it down with the sandwich – it’s all good.

#Bythehour ($7.8 half, $11.8 whole)

The
#Bythehour ($7.8 half, $11.8
whole) on the other hand, was a lighter and cleaner taste altogether. Borrowing
its inspiration from Mexico, this sandwich was stuffed with pulled pork,
flavoursome apple and purple cabbage slaw, and topped with a refreshing corn
relish.

#Brklyn ($7.8 half, $11.8 whole)

The
#Brklyn ($7.8 half, $11.8
whole) was my favourite sandwich for the day. The pulled lamb was cooked for 10
hours, and it shows – the meat was unctuous and melted in the mouth, suffused
with fragrant cumin. The tangy pickled beetroot and whipped feta on top was
the perfect companion to the sticky lamb.

One
thing definitely worth mentioning is the bread. Doing away with the
mouth-shredding sourdough, Michael and Eleena sourced their custom-made bread
locally, resulting in a loaf that is strong enough to hold the fillings, but
soft enough to soak up the juices.

Jam Hot Ball Donut ($2.8)

Chocolate Custard Hot Ball Donut ($2.8)

Though
full, we couldn’t say no to a pair of Hot
Ball Donuts ($2.8), and a cup of Americano
Coffee ($2.5 cup; $4.8 bottomless). The hot jam donuts were light,
crisp, and not too sweet, allowing the sticky jam and smooth chocolate custard
to shine. The coffee however, was not really my thing. It was a filtered
American-styled coffee, and being used to the heady and fragrant Melbourne
coffee, I’m afraid this was a bit too weak for me. However for those of you who
can’t handle strong coffees, this is a great alternative made with some of the
best beans Melbourne has to offer – St Ali Beans.

Hero
is something Melbourne has needed for a long time – sandwiches with great
ingredients that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The flavours are punchy and
exciting, and the portions huge. It has definitely taken a spot on my list of
favourite places for a sandwich.